| Jazz |
With the staggering number of albums we receive, we could have easily missed this masterpiece, and I choose my words carefully. But over time, connections are forged with the artists, and Michelle Lordi rekindled our memory, a thousand thanks! Because this album deserves the same level of praise that I have had for composers like Anthony Branker, for example. With this album, Michelle Lordi has pushed the boundaries of her art even further.
“Two Moons” is presented to us as fiction, yet the narrative, featuring chaotic periods and rediscovered hope, cannot help but bring to mind the pandemic period we all endured. The majority of the tracks are original compositions, with a few covers, including a version of “Blue Moon” that is essentially a reimagining or transposition of the piece, brought to the level of Michelle Lordi’s talent. She’s an artist you’re familiar with if you listen to Bayou Blue Radio, and she goes beyond being just a jazz singer; she’s a brilliant interpreter who can also play the role of an actress when necessary, always astute in her interpretation of the songs.
This album is a contemporary work that transcends the confines of jazz and can equally resonate with classical music enthusiasts. In Michelle Lordi’s art, there is never room for chance; it’s a new project, a new vision, with limitless creativity, yet always approachable. When you hear her perform “Scare The Ghost,” you’ll be captivated by her ability to make the beautiful poetry come alive. We appreciate the space given to musicality in all the tracks on this album, and her musicians are truly exceptional: Orrin Evans on the piano, Nasheet Waits on drums, Eric Revis on double bass, as well as saxophonist Caleb Wheeler Curtis, and of course, Matthew Parris. They form a golden team on an album where you can feel the camaraderie between the musicians and Michelle Lordi at every moment.
This is the kind of album that demands immense work and undoubtedly a lot of exploration of poetic and musical forms. On her previous album, “Break Up With The Sound,” we weren’t the only ones to applaud her work. DownBeat magazine, under the pen of Michel L. Simms-Burton, also highlighted it (HERE).
That’s to emphasize the importance of this artist, who would fit perfectly on a label like Mack Avenue or Blue Note, labels for whom the word ‘creation’ holds true meaning… ‘Two Moons’ is an album that carries such significance that it’s deemed an ‘Essential’ album as defined by the editorial teams of Bayou Blue Radio and Paris-Move.
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, October 30th 2023
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